Kentucky just hadn’t been lucky enough with 50-50 balls early on in the 2024 season. In the demoralizing Week 2 loss to South Carolina, the Gamecocks coughed the ball up four times but recovered all of them. A week later against Georgia, the Bulldogs lost the ball three times, but once again, Kentucky failed to recover a single one.

The Wildcats finally scooped up one of two loose fumbles in the Week 4 win over Ohio, but that game was never truly in the balance. Whenever UK did fall on the ground and grab the fumble in key moments, something always seemed to reverse the call — a penalty or a deal ball whistle (it wasn’t a fumble, but remember the overturned pick-6 against Georgia?), something to ensure the other team still had possession. Up until Saturday night, whenever Kentucky truly needed to grab a fumble on the ground, luck was just never on its side.

And for the vast majority of the Wildcats’ 20-17 upset win over Ole Miss, that luck was still nowhere to be found. Ole Miss even fumbled the opening kickoff, but the returner was ruled down before coughing up the ball. The vibes finally changed in the closing minutes though. Down by four points with under three minutes of game time left, backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt took a snap from the Ole Miss six-yard line with full intentions of Wildcat-ing his way into the end zone.

Wimsatt faked the snap to Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, ran left to the open space, and had the ball knocked from his grasp around the three-yard line. But junior tight end Josh Kattus was in the right place at the right time, the popped-up ball falling right into his arms as he landed in the end zone with 2:25 on the clock. It wound up being the game-winning touchdown for Kentucky.

Luck had finally gone the Wildcats’ way.

“That was huge to get that, to get the recovery — the ball to bounce our way for once,” Head coach Mark Stoops said with relief after the game.

Later on the drive, Kentucky recovered its own fumble for a go-ahead touchdown!

20-17 lead at No. 6 Ole Miss. pic.twitter.com/lpuobBssuU

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2024

It marked the first touchdown of the year for Kattus, who had drawn some criticism for his play early in the season, particularly throughout the Ole Miss matchup. Granted, he missed time in the preseason due to injury and sat out the season-opener against Southern Miss because of it, but his production so far hadn’t been meeting expectations.

Kattus’ Pro Football Focus numbers are down this season compared to his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Along with the fact that he has just one reception for three yards this season, he’s been called out by fans for his lack of reliable protection as a blocker. Associate head coach Vince Marrow, also the tight ends coach, even benched Kattus at one point against Ole Miss, but something in his gut told him to give the Cincinnati native another chance.

“You know what? I started to retweet ESPN because I’ve been watching people say Josh Kattus has really been playing bad the last couple games,” Marrow said on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports. “And I’m like, what are they talking about? Josh Kattus has played really well, grading out in the 90s the last three games. He really did play well.

“Yesterday, he just had one of them deals and I didn’t like the way he was playing, so I took him out. And then something in my spirit told me — because I’m around with him, man. He’s a tough, smart, good football player. Something told me to put him back in. And he was in on that drive, and thank God he was. I mean, it was like the ball just found him. That was huge for him to be alert for that, because that could have been critical.”

If Kattus doesn’t recover that fumble for a touchdown, Ole Miss almost assuredly wins the game. There just wasn’t going to be enough time remaining for the Wildcats to get the ball back and score a touchdown. But Lady Luck had other plans, and it helped Kentucky win its biggest game of the Stoops era.

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